I Never Would Have Thought
by NateeWeasley
Summary: For Ron and Harry, their years at Hogwarts are not only about passing exams and learning spells. They're going to need their quick wit, their intelligence, and their logic to figure out exactly what's going on at Hogwarts, especially since they don't have their bushy brown haired friend to save them this time. **DISCONTINUED**
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

For Ron and Harry, their years at Hogwarts are not only about passing exams and learning spells. They're going to need their quick wit, their intelligence, and their logic to figure out exactly what's going on at Hogwarts, especially since they don't have their bushy brown haired friend to save them this time. This is the story that tells how different Harry, Ron, and Hermione's lives would be if they weren't in the same house, starting from first year. How exactly would Ron and Hermione get together, when all they are to each other is acquaintances? Story told in Ron and Hermione's POV.

Chapter 1

**Hermione's POV**

"Hermione, come down to eat," her mum called, taking her out of deep thoughts. She had been lying on her bed, thinking of what the next day would bring. Just a few weeks prior, her father had told her that she got a letter in the mail—it was odd, Hermione thought. She didn't really have friends to actually bother sending her a letter, and even if she did, they could have easily contacted her by telephone. Her parents seemed surprised as well, and were as eager as she was to find out the contents of this letter. She anxiously opened the envelope, knowing that there should be nothing to worry about; it was just a letter, after all. But once she finished reading the letter, she knew her life wasn't going to be the same.

Lots of things happened in those two weeks. A day after receiving that odd letter, a man that had never seen before showed up at the Granger's front doorstep. He introduced himself as Stanley Larson, Wizengamot Council Member of seven years, currently working at the Ministry of Magic. Mr. and Mrs. Granger showed that they were obviously confused, which made Stanley let out a small chuckle. As Mr. Granger was about to shut the door on the stranger, he asked if he could see Hermione. They were even more confused at the fact that this man knew their daughter; Mrs. Granger called Hermione to come to the living room and asked if she knew this man. Before Hermione could answer, Stanley said, "Do you recall a letter in the mail for you yesterday?"

At the end of that day, Hermione had discovered she was a witch. Hermione didn't believe this at first; there was no logical was magic could be real. Yeah, sure, she read about magic in fairytales, but she always knew that it wasn't real. It was absolutely preposterous. Well, at least it was preposterous until the man took out an oddly carved stick from his back pocket and pointed it at a potted plant. He said a few words that Hermione couldn't comprehend, and the plant that was once dead turned slowly formed into its former self. The Grangers couldn't believe their eyes, and once the thought of what this man could do sunk in, they became utterly terrified. He proved, however, that magic or whatever that had been was real, but how could he prove that their little Hermione could do such a thing?

He did prove it. He explained to them what being a muggle-born was, and how it wasn't anything to be ashamed of, especially because he was one himself. He asked Hermione a few questions. He asked if anything peculiar had happened during her growth when she was angry, sad, or scared. This made Hermione think; she remembered in one moment when she was in primary school. Hermione was playing on a swing set, enjoying herself, until a large boy for his age came up from behind her and pushed her off. She fell on her face and was on the verge of tears, and it was obvious to anyone who saw her that she was very upset. The boy was on his highest point, and he was going pretty fast, so he didn't have time to react when something jerked him off the swing in midair. It was rather unexplainable why the boy fell off, but Hermione didn't really want to overthink it like she usually would.

A few days after, Hermione, accompanied by her parents, went to shop at Diagon Alley for her school supplies. She couldn't believe everything she saw at Flourish and Blotts—there were certainly more books there than any muggle bookstore—and there were so many fascinating genres to choose from! She was about to buy all the necessary school textbooks she would need for the school year, but she couldn't help grabbing another book to teach her more about the new world she had entered. After scanning every shelf for nearly an hour, she finally stopped at a book that caught her eye. "Hogwarts, a History" was just the book she needed. She was embarrassed to say she knew nothing about the school she was going to attend in the fall—and this book had everything! It stated when Hogwarts was founded, who it was founded by, it named every headmaster and professor Hogwarts had ever had, and so much more—she nearly begged her parents to buy it for her, and they were reluctant to do so, being it cost 5 galleons…

Since then, Hermione had done nothing but read and practice spells she got from her textbook. It was different handling a wand, she thought, because it was like nothing she had ever done before. She read on "Hogwarts, a History" that underage wizards who attended Hogwarts could not use magic outside of school, so she took the time she had before school started to her advantage and practiced basic spells whenever she could. She felt very fond of herself after she had mastered a few spells in only a weeks' time. There was nothing you couldn't do if you worked for it. As each day passed, the more nervous she became. She heard of pure-bloods, and how some of them could be very judgmental. They were a major reason she didn't want to be sorted into Slytherin. From what she read, nearly every student who graduated a Slytherin became interested in Dark Magic, and that it was a regular occurrence. She had read about every house, and while the other two sounded interesting, she was very interested in Gryffindor. Gryffindor was for brave, chivalrous people, and as much as she wanted to be in that house, she didn't know if she quite met the requirements. The only thing she could do was wait and find out.

The day before going to Kings Cross station had come, and it was all Hermione could think about. She thought about the negative things that could happen, but the positives always won, which was good. She finished packing everything she needed, and had laid out her clothes for the following day. Everything was good and ready for the next day, but was she emotionally ready to go to Hogwarts? She had read so much about it, and it sounded truly remarkable, but what if she was alone? She didn't have friends all throughout primary school, what if it was the same at Hogwarts? What if people teased her because she was a muggle-born? This was one of the few times that Hermione didn't know the answers to her questions, and she absolutely hated not knowing things. It was a good thing her mother called her for dinner, because if she had thought about the topic anymore, she would surely crack.

"Coming, Mum!" She called back. She raised herself from the headboard her head was resting on and swung her legs off her bed. She walked downstairs and entered the dining room, finding her mum and dad waiting for her. There was a bowl of potato salad in the middle of the table, and a plate of cooked vegetables next to it. Hermione sat down, served herself, and began to eat. Several moments later, she heard something ding. It was coming from the kitchen, apparently, because her mother was heading to the oven. After a few seconds, she returned with a large pan filled with roast beef. She looked over to Hermione and said, "Take as much as you'd like, dear."

It was a very quiet dinner. Hermione had listened to her mum talk about how her day went at the office and how her boss had hinted about giving her a promotion. Her dad talked about a rather nasty appointment at the clinic he worked at, which made Hermione lose her appetite a bit. They conversed quite a bit until they realized Hermione was eating with them as well.

"Hermione, you've been awfully quiet," her dad started, picking up a piece of roast beef with his fork. "Have anything on your mind?"

"Well," she said, "I've been thinking a lot about tomorrow. It will be the longest time I've been away from both of you. I don't know if the other kids will like me." She sighed.

"Of course they'll like you," her mum stated firmly. "You're an amazing young lady, and I just know you'll win them over with your brains. Isn't there a house that accepts people because of how smart they are?"

"Yes, it's called Ravenclaw, but it's not the house I'm interested in being in. I want to be a Gryffindor." Hermione said proudly. At that moment, she got up from her chair to put her plate in sink. She returned to her chair, facing her parents.

"What are Gryffindors known for?" Her father asked curiously. He was probably the happier parent when finding out Hermione was a witch. Instead of being different with Hermione or even being scared or disgusted by her, he was still the silly dad she had before any of this magic business. She was very thankful for that.

"They're known for being brave and chivalrous. I don't know if I quite reach those standards." She sighed once again, but with deeper disappointment. Her parents took note of this, and shared a look.

"Hermione," her father started. "Whether you're in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Pufflehuff or Slytherin, you're still the same girl you were before you even knew about magic. You can't change who you are and you can't be someone you're not. Whichever house you end up being in, you should know that they will be extremely lucky to have you. Not only will you give them a good name because of your extraordinary grades—but because of your kind heart. I know that you will make friends at school—whether it happens the first day, or the first month—I know you'll make them. I'd be surprised if you didn't. Don't be so down before your first day, you should be happy! Now c'mon, chin up soldier, everything is going to be okay."

Hermione let out a soft chuckle. She looked up at her father with a wide grin and said, "Its Hufflepuff, dad."

**Ron's POV**

It was the day before he would start Hogwarts, and saying that Ron Weasley was a bit nervous was an understatement. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He had heard lots about it from his older brothers, and it sounded amazing, but he still thought negatively. Was he going to meet anyone on the first day? That's what he was mostly worried about. His older twin brothers, Fred and George, were major pranksters, so they were well known. His brother Percy was Prefect (and he got a bloody owl because of it. How unfair is that?), his other brother Charlie was the best Quidditch player Gryffindor has had in years. He was also worried about what house he would be sorted in.

Gryffindor was for the brave and chivalrous. Ravenclaw was for the smart and clever. Hufflepuff was for the loyal and patient. Slytherin was for the ambitious and cunning. He honestly didn't think he was any of those things. He wanted to be in Gryffindor more than anything in the world—there was only one person in his family that had been in a house outside of Gryffindor, and that was a distant cousin no one really liked. Plus, his brothers would definitely take the piss. 'Hey Ron, how's being Hufflepuff goin'? Yeah, we didn't think I'd be too good either.'

Even his parents were in Gryffindor. What would they do? What would they say? He bet they'd disown him. Even though they'd told him more than a million times that it wouldn't matter whether he was a Gryffindor or not, he still had doubts that his parents felt that way. Each of his brothers (except for Charlie who was in Romania) gave him a little pep talk, helped him in very different ways. A few days ago, his oldest brother Bill had pulled him aside from the family and asked to talk. They went to Bill's old room, which was now his younger sister Ginny's room and sat down.

"Are you nervous for next week?" He asked calmly, placing his hand on Ron's shoulder. Bill was always the calm one in the family. He was probably most like his father; wise and patient.

"A bit," was all Ron replied. "A bit" didn't really emphasize what he really felt, but he just went with it. Bill raised an eyebrow, knowing that Ron wasn't telling the truth. Bill somehow always knew what was on his mind, whether he liked it or not. He probably beat Percy in the long run. Sure, Percy was smart, but he was awfully annoying.. Ron probably liked talking to Bill the most out of all his brothers because he was the easiest to talk to. Bill always knew what to say, he had been through it all.

"I know you, Ron. I know that you're more than a bit nervous. You're going to Hogwarts; it's a big thing. The whole 'what house will I be in' problem, the 'will I make any friends' problem. We all went through it, and we all got passed it. It's no big deal."

"I think it is…." Ron paused. He was about to continue, but Bill spoke first.

"It's not. No one bloody cares if you're not in Gryffindor. You're still my brother. You're still Ron. So quit worrying, alright? You're going to make friends, every boy does. Just talk about quidditch and you'll find a best mate the first night. You know my friend Raymond?" Ron nodded. "I met him the Hogwarts Express. He was about as nervous as I was, but I just laughed my nerves off. We talked about which Quidditch teams were best; it was funny too, because he was an enormous fan of the Chudley Cannons," Ron and Bill chuckled a bit. "Look Ron, I know you're scared. Fred and George might keep telling you that they were the most popular kids in their year and that they made loads of friends in a week—but they're telling you nothing but rubbish. They had no one to talk but each other for the first month! I remember Mum owling me about how she was worried that they were 'anti-social'. They would say in their letters, 'Oh Mum! It's awful here! We're not making any friends, and the homework is why too hard for a pair of eleven year olds!' I felt bad for laughing, mostly because Mum wacked me, but yeah.

"What I'm trying to say Ron is that even though you aren't popular, or if you don't pass your exams, or end up it bloody Hufflepuff—well, we'd be worried—but not ashamed." Bill patted Ron on the back.

"Thanks Bill."

* * *

Ron hardly talked to Fred and George about his worries. He knew that they wouldn't really help, and that they'd only joke around, so he didn't bother. He was surprised to know that Fred and George didn't make friends quickly like Ron originally thought they did. The twins were so outgoing and fun, so it was understandable that he didn't expect that. For the first time, Ron felt like he could get back. The twins had always pulled terrible pranks on him and told him things that were enough to make him cry, so why not take advantage of such an embarrassing story? He rushed up stairs to Fred and George's room and barged in, catching them inventing some strange toy.

"Hello, Forge."

"It's Gred to you!" George said, making Fred snicker. "What do you want, Ron?" They said dully in unison. Ron smirked and put his hand behind his back. "Well, I just finished talking to Bill a while ago—"

"Oh please, Ron, don't tell us another story about Patricia Clancy, his 5th year crush again—"Fred said whiningly.

"—we've heard about her already from Bill himself, and I really don't know why _she _tickled his fancy—"

"No! It's not about a girl!" Ron said disgustedly. "It's about you, actually." The grins Ron would always see on his brother's faces began to fade. "What's about us?" They said.

"Apparently," Ron started. "Neither of you made friends until what, the first month of your first year? What happened to making _loads _of friends the first day?" Fred and George glanced at each other, for the first time, not knowing a witty comeback to reply. "He can't prove that—"

"He read your letters." Without another word, Fred and George stood up from their chairs and shoved passed him to go to downstairs, roaring "BILL!" The whole time. It was really rather hilarious. The embarrassment and the loss for words on their faces, and the anger. Bill probably didn't care about what Fred and George would do to him, since he was much bigger and smarter than him, so Ron was happy nonetheless.

* * *

A few days after the whole, 'Why would you betray us Bill? We were winning the war!" argument, which Ron found absolutely priceless, Fred and George had come to terms with Ron, promising they would stop giving him and old rubbish tales since he was smart enough to use their embarrassment as his advantage. They said they we proud, very dramatically, by rubbing fake tears from their eyes and praising Ron for being born.

Bill was going to leave tomorrow, so as a special treat, he said he would take Ron outside to play a game of Quidditch. Ron had always known how the game was played, but he wasn't sure how to play it. All Bill did was test Ron to see what position he was best at. They played in their front yard with Charlie's old Cleansweep and the broom Fred was currently using. He charmed a muggle basketball to preform like a bludger, which did not go well at all, seeing at he nearly broke his arm because he couldn't beat it properly. He was certainly not a beater. He released the charm on the basketball and just tossed it around with him to see if he could catch it while flying in the air. It dropped several times, so he wasn't the best chaser. It was until Ron was protecting the hoops from any 'quaffles' that wanted to go in. He missed a few times, but Bill had to admit to himself that he was going a bit harder because Ron was doing so well. Bill called it a night, and though Ron wanted to see if he was fit to be a seeker, Bill had told them that he already was a good keeper, so he didn't have to worry about it.

After playing with Bill outside, Ron returned his mum said that she wanted to talk to him. It was probably the same topic as most of his family members were talking to him about. It made him feel as if he was some weak little boy who was scared about upcoming events. He was scared. He knew he was. He just hated showing it.

"Ron, come and sit with me." His mum was patting the spot on the sofa next to her, urging him to sit down. Ron didn't really know what to expect when it came to his mother, so he really hoped this lecture wouldn't somehow turn into a punishment. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and turned to him.

"I've been waiting for this day to come. My last little boy, finally going into Hogwarts—"His mum wiped a tear from her eye. "I remember when you were younger, and Percy was off to Hogwarts, and you kept whimpering, 'I want to go to Hogwarts too, Mummy!' It was so sweet, yet somewhat heartbreaking at the same time. You would always have that lost disappointed look in your eyes whenever one of your brothers boarded the train—I really didn't know how to help you!" She chuckled. Ron really didn't know where she was going. "Tomorrow is the beginning of your life, really. You choose how you want to live it. By the end of your last year at Hogwarts, you'll know where you are." And with that, his mother stood up and left the room.

**A/N:** This is actually a remake of the first chapter. Re-read the original and I thought I failed with Ron's POV. Please review! I'd really appreciate it:)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Hermione's POV**

The train ride to Hogwarts wasn't so terrible, Hermione thought when the train had reached its destination. Saying goodbye to her mum and dad was difficult; there had been tears, and they weren't spilling from Hermione's eyes. Her dad took it the hardest, but he tried his best not to show it. His only daughter was going to a boarding school for several months, after all. After their heartfelt goodbyes, Hermione sat in an empty compartment in the front of the train, re-reading her textbooks. It was going to be a long journey, so why not spend those several hours doing something educational?

She did get distracted, though. There was lots of noise, especially coming from the back of the train, and it got in the way of concentrating solely on her book. She saw numerous boys, most likely teenagers, fooling around outside the compartments, throwing around playing around with strange toys. She heard one of them yell, "Ha! There's no better joke shop than Zonko's!" It was really rather ridiculous. Ah, boys.

Just as she was about to start on a new chapter of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a short, chubby round-faced boy burst inside the compartment. His eyes were red from crying, and he was stammering words Hermione couldn't understand. She told him to calm down, and to take deep breaths, and then to tell her what was the matter. After a few minutes, the boy was able to talk.

"Tr-Trevor! He's g-gone! I don't know w-where—"At that moment he broke down crying again, and Hermione tried to help him gain his composure. After the boy had stopped crying, Hermione asked him for his name.

"It's N-Neville. Neville Longbottom. I've lost my toad, Gran said that if I lost him—oh no, what will I do?" Once he stopped crying, he began to panic. He began pacing in the compartment, mumbling things, and hitting his forehead with his clenched fist. Hermione felt awful sympathy, and she offered to help Neville. She put her book back to her bag, which was already unorganized from taking out her robes to put them on, and left the compartment. She, accompanied by Neville, went to ask the people in their compartments if they had seen Trevor. Some of the students politely said they hadn't, and that they'd keep an eye out for him, but some students replied with a harsh "No, go away, stupid first years". As they kept going along, Neville grew more and more hopeless, and even told Hermione to forget it. Hermione refused, saying they hadn't checked every compartment, but Neville insisted. Neville thanked her for her help, and returned to his compartment, sad and disappointed.

When Hermione returned to her compartment, she found a girl already sitting there. She had golden blond hair with curious blue eyes. Hermione noticed when the girl turned around in realization that she had entered. She seemed very bubbly. Hermione's eyes flickered from the girl to her bag, and after a moment, the girl stood up stammering apologies about how she knew it was someone's compartment but she went in anyway, because the rest were full.

"Don't apologize, you really did nothing wrong. Please, feel free to stay." Hermione offered a small smile. The girl sat down, visibly looking more relaxed. They sat in an awkward silence for a bit, until the girl began to speak.

"I'm Phoebe Vihan. What's your name?" She asked nicely.

"Hermione Granger. I'm a muggle-born," she said uncertainly. She didn't know this girl's blood-status, so she hoped this girl wasn't prejudice like some purebloods.

"Really? I'm half-blood. My dad is a wizard, and my mum is a muggle. I can only imagine the shock my mum had!" She didn't dwell too much on Hermione being a muggle-born, to her relief. They talked about how they found out they were witches, both stories being completely different. They shared a few laughs; they were genuinely enjoying talking to each other. Phoebe excused herself so that she could get some snacks from the trolley, promising she'd be back quickly. While Phoebe was gone, Hermione took the time to think about how she actually made a friend. At least she thought she did. On the first day, no less! It was rather exciting. It was good to know some of her worries were gone.

When Phoebe returned, she had a scowl on her face. Before Hermione could ask, Phoebe said, "I just ran into two stupid boys near the trolley. It seemed as if they were having fun annoying me," she rolled her eyes and sat back down. She handed Hermione a Chocolate Frog before opening her own. Identifying Hermione's Hermione confused look, she explained, "Chocolate Frogs. They're pretty good, but the best part is collector's cards."

Hermione started to think about Neville when Phoebe said "two stupid boys". He was the only boy she knew so far, so what could she think otherwise? And though she was doubtful, she asked anyway.

"Was one of the boys rather chubby?"

"Well, no. There was one irritating me more, the one next to him was sort of just supporting him. I saw a pretty chubby looking boy behind them, be he was causing no trouble." Hermione knew Neville probably wouldn't irritate someone for his own enjoyment; he was too timid. Though, she wasn't fond of the fact that there were boys in her year that weren't going to be the most fun to hang around.

"Boys," Hermione said, shaking her head. "So what house do you want to be in when you get to Hogwarts?"

Phoebe put on a perplexed face. "I don't know, really. I guess I'd be fine with any house, but it would be nice to be sorted into Gryffindor, like my dad." Hermione was happy that things in common with this girl. She rarely ever made a friend, and when she did, they would go away one way or another. She hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself.

"I want to be in Gryffindor as well. And If not, Ravenclaw." As she finished her sentence, they heard the train come to a stop. They heard the conductor yell "The train has reached its destination, everyone off!" Hermione and Phoebe gathered their things and made their way out of the train. When they got out, they saw a man that was that was easily twice as tall as a regular man. It was incredible. After he got all the first years together, he asked everyone to follow him to the boats. Phoebe grabbed her arm seeing that there was a big group of first years and that one of them could easily get lost. They talked about how in just a bit, they would be in their houses, and they were going to have such a good time at school.

It really was exciting.

* * *

**Ron's POV**

Ron couldn't believe his luck. Right now, he was sharing a compartment with Harry Potter. Harry Potter! Not only was he chatting with one of the most famous wizards of all time, but he was becoming friends with him, too! His mum was right, he thought. She seemed to be good at that.

Harry was pretty awkward. They got along pretty well, for two eleven year old boys who just met. Harry seemed to want to know all about the Wizarding World, so Ron didn't know where better else to start than Quidditch. Harry didn't know much, so Ron filled him in quickly. He told him about how his favorite team was the Chudley Cannons, even though they practically were the worst team in the league, and about how he had lots of brothers and how he had to live up to them.

They were almost at Hogwarts, so Harry suggested they put on their robes. After they put them on, Ron questioned why the trolley hadn't come their way then. "Must be having lots of customers." He said. He asked Harry if he wanted to get some candy, and what boy would refuse candy? Ron lead the way, and when he and Harry got to the trolley, he noticed a girl had already been purchasing candy.

"Come on, dear. There are more people waiting." The lady manning the trolley said, looking a tad cross with the girl.

"Yeah, okay, sorry. Umm….I'll take Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Oh, and two chocolate frogs, please." The lady gave her the candy, and as the girl was walking to head back to her compartment, she accidentally bumped into Ron's shoulder, making him stumble back. He didn't take it as accidental.

"Hey, watch it!" Ron exclaimed with a scowl. The girl turned around. "It was an accident, you prat." The girl countered. Ron stood with his mouth agape, watching this girl raise her eyebrows and cross her arms, waiting for a reply.

"You're one to talk." Ron replied curtly, but this girl wasn't giving up without a fight. "Look, I don't want trouble—"

"It's a bit late for that—" Ron interjected.

"Shut up and let me speak, will you?" Ron pursed his lips, unimpressed. "Ugh, let's just forget this ever happened, alright? I don't want drama for something as silly as this." The girl took a step back. "Now if you excuse me, I have a friend waiting for me back in our compartment." Ron and Harry watched as she walked away, Ron looking livid, and Harry looking fairly bothered with his new friend.

"You didn't have to take it that far," Harry started. "It was just an accident, Ron." Ron looked glared at Harry for a few seconds.

"Whatever. She started it. Then continued it by calling me a prat," Ron defended. Harry dropped the subject. He could have stopped the argument, but it was kind of entertaining to him. They returned to their compartment, eating their candy and talking more about magic and sports. By then, Ron thought they were good friends. He hoped Harry felt the same.

That's when they hear the train stop.

* * *

"Abbot, Hannah!" yelled Professor McGonagall, who was reading names from a long list of students. The girl, named Hannah, went up to the stool where the Sorting hat was placed. After she sat down, Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

"Ah, I see. You belong in….HUFFLEPUFF!" Hannah happily strode over to the Hufflepuff table, where everyone was cheering. This was it, Ron thought. He kept re-thinking that no matter what house he was in, his family would still love him. He tried to keep the positive thoughts in his head and push the negative ones out.

"Vihan, Phoebe!" Bloody hell, it was that girl he had had a heated argument with back on the train. It would be terribly awkward if they were in the same house. Phoebe nervously walked to the stool and sat down, fiddling with her fingers. After a few moments, the sorting hat spoke. "Hm…lots of talent, this one…smart….cunning too…..incredibly loyal….but also so courageous! It's a hard decision, but you belong in….GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table cheered, as Phoebe sat down there.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

Ron felt like his heart fell to his stomach. He stood frozen on the spot, until Harry shoved him to get him going. He walked to the stool and sat down, where he felt the hat being placed on his head. "Ooo, a Weasley! Haven't gotten one of those in a while! But hm….you seem different from your brothers…." He started speaking a bit quieter, so only Ron could hear. "Not quite enough loyalty in you to be in Hufflepuff…nope, not Ravenclaw, that wouldn't be right….. Oh, yes…..I know where to put you now…..SLYTHERIN!"

Ron didn't know what to feel. Was he disappointed, ashamed, angry, or even pleased? He felt like time had frozen. He heard the Slytherin table start to cheer, so he stood up and walked to their table, trying not to show the little disappointment he had. He sat next to a blond haired boy, who he recognized as a Malfoy. He faced the direction of the Sorted Hat so he could see who was being sorted. He watched as a boy called Seamus was sorted into Gryffindor, lucky git.

He felt someone tap on his shoulder. It was the blond haired boy, Malfoy. He wasn't particularly excited about talking to him, but he did anyway. "Well, what'd you know, Weasley, you're good enough to be in Slytherin. You know, I think we could become mates, if disregard the whole 'family being poor' dilemma. What'd you say?" Ron fumed at the 'family being poor comment, but as he didn't want to get into another argument like he did previously, he just replied, "We'll see, Malfoy" and returned his attention to the sorting hat.

"Harry Potter!" Everyone starting murmuring what house they thought and hoped he would be in, and how it was incredible that Harry would be going to school the same time as they were—as for Ron, he just wanted him to be in Slytherin. He didn't want to be stuck hanging around with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all the time. He didn't even want to imagine that future. Ron couldn't hear what the Sorting hat was saying to Harry, but it looked as if he and the hat were having a mild discussion—

"I know where to put you, Harry Potter…..SLYTHERIN!"

Everyone at the Slytherin table stood up and erupted with applause and cheers, including Ron and Malfoy. Harry had a grin on his face when he came to sit with the Slytherins. Everyone was patting him on the back, including Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. For a moment, Ron forgot that he was the first Weasley in decades to not be in Gryffindor. He forgot that Fred and George would never let him hear the end of it. He forgot that Percy would most likely give him a lecture of how bad the house he was put into was and how the whole family would be disappointed. He forgot about everything and just enjoyed the fact that he wasn't going to be too upset about being in Slytherin.

The Slytherins were ordered to be quiet and to sit down. They did what they were told, but the murmurs and the quiet laughs didn't stop. There were still a few students that were yet to be sorted.

"Granger, Hermione!" He and Harry saw a girl with very bushy brown hair go up to the stool and sit down. The Sorting hat was placed on her head; she was watching it nervously the whole time. The Sorting Hat was speechless for a few moments. Ron could see that the Sorting Hat was making all sorts of faces; mostly ones of confusion and frustration. The bushy haired girl evidently became more nervous as seconds went by. After a few moments, the Sorting Hat spoke.

"Oh, where to put you, child? So much potential you have, indeed! So intelligent, so ambitious….but there's a trait in you that tops them all. You, my dear, belong in GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindors clapped and some cheered, but it was obvious they were still a bit disappointed that Harry Potter wasn't in their house. Her face was filled with joy as she skipped to her seat at the Gryffindor table. She was sitting next to the annoying blond girl. Ron started to wonder what made the Sorting Hat speechless. That didn't usually happen, according to his brothers. He guessed that she had something special that most students, not even Harry Potter, had.

"Hey Ron, come on! Dig in!" Harry said excitedly as the food appeared at their table. Ron began to eat and socialize with his fellow Slytherins, but when he wasn't talking or eating, his thoughts always seemed to wander back that that girl in Gryffindor.

Strange.

* * *

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_I'm not sure how you're going to take this, but I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor. I'll tell you where I was sorted at the end of the letter. But guess what? I'm friends with Harry Potter! Can you believe it? Me and Harry Potter! It's so cool. He's in the same house as me, too. You might get mad at me, but I got in an argument with a girl on the train. I might have said things that I regret now. Trust me when I say she started it. The food was delicious; the pudding was downright amazing (nothing compared to yours though, Mum). Well, I guess there's nothing more to say but that I'm in Slytherin. And believe it or not, I'm proud of it. Nothing no anyone can say (including my brothers) will make me change my mind. Love you both, say hi to Ginny for me._

_Love,_

_Ron_

"Hey Ron!" Ron heard two people say his name in unison. They came up to the Slytherin table, ignoring some strange looks. It was the twins. Ron knew this wasn't going to go all that great. Fred and George both sat on either side of him, smirking. Ron turned to both of his brothers, waiting for one of them to say something. Instead of speaking, Fred and George's heads got closing to Ron's.

"Ugh! What do you want?" Ron broke under the pressure. The twins patted Ron on the back.

"We both knew you wouldn't be in Gryffindor. You always seemed different. Why'd you think everyone gave you "we'll love you no matter what house you're in" advice than just telling you to not worry and that you'll be in Gryffindor for sure? Everyone knew," George started, and Fred continued. "We'd be more surprised if you were in Gryffindor. I'd be as shocking as seeing Ginny be sorted into Hufflepuff." George snickered. "Don't worry about it, little bro. You can be our little spy on the Slytherins. It's harder to prank them than any other house," George said seriously. "I'd hate to be you when it comes to Percy though, he can be a nasty bugger."

Ron didn't know what to say. He couldn't really interrupt the twins when they were talking since they talked so fast. He was surprised to know that everyone thought he wouldn't be in Gryffindor; it did make sense though. The advice, the talks….they were personalized for him. No wonder mum gave him the talk and not dad….

"Well….thanks, I guess. You should be getting back to the Gryffindor table; they'll think you're betraying them." He offered a sincere smile to his brothers. They actually did help him a bit.

"You're right, bro." Fred and George turned to Harry, who had been silently sitting across from them listening to their conversation, laughing slightly at some parts. Fred put out his hand to give Harry a shake. "Pleasure to make you're acquaintance, Mr. Harry Potter." George shook his hand as well before they left. "Be good boys. Or not, we're better off without you winning the house cup." The twins gave Ron and Harry a final smirk, and left.

"That was odd." Harry said, still puzzled.

"They're Fred and George, that's what you should expect from them, I suppose." Ron laughed. After they finished eating, they went back to the Slytherin common room. Ron didn't really want to speak to Percy at the moment.

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Hermione's POV

Hermione still couldn't believe it. She was in Gryffindor! And to make things better, so was Phoebe! Things really did turn out great, after all. It turned out Phoebe saved a seat for Hermione for when she sat down. They started talking to Parvati Patil about how she and her twin were in different houses, and that they're competitive side would surely get the best of them. Then they started to talk to Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas about how they were pretty disappointed that Harry Potter wasn't in Gryffindor.

"I thought he'd be with us for sure! Plus, I bet 2 galleons that he'd be sorted into Gryffindor the second the hat touched his head. Now I owe money to Lee bloody Jordan."

Hermione had a good time talking to other Gryffindors her year. It seemed that they liked her, which was a good sign. After the day was done, and classes were over, she and Phoebe went back to the Gryffindor common room to do homework. They only had a few classes together; Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Muggle Studies. She and Phoebe had a nice conversation while doing homework.

"This Charms homework is way too hard," Phoebe said, grinning.

"You're saying that already? It's only the first day," Hermione replied, chuckling slightly.

"Well, sorry we can't all be as smart as you, Hermione." They gave each other a knowing look, and returned to their charms homework.

A few minutes past and Phoebe spoke. "I really didn't think that I'd make a friend the first day. I honestly thought I'd be alone these past few weeks; I'm really glad I met you, Hermione." Hermione didn't think Phoebe knew how much that meant to her. All the years she had been to primary school, she had no one to talk to or play with at recess, and she was usually picked on for being the teacher's pet. She would eat lunch with the teacher she had that year so that she wouldn't be alone. Now that she had a friend, she seemed more relaxed.

"I'm glad I met you too, Phoebe."

* * *

_A/N:_ I originally didn't think I'd make up a character, but it was kind of necessary. I promise all of you that in the next chapter you will get Percy's reaction, and Harry, Ron and Hermione will come across each other. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Ron's POV**

"Potter, Weasley, want to go back to the common room? It's bloody late already," Draco said irritably as he stood up from the table he, Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle were sitting at while they were doing their homework in the library.

"How many times do we have to tell you? Me and Ron like to be called by our first names," Harry said for what felt like the millionth time since he met Draco Malfoy. He didn't seem to really get to point, however. Draco stood up and pushed his hair in, Crabbe and Goyle following the suit.

"Oh fine, Harry," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "So, you coming or what?" Draco raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You both are not still doing your homework, are you?" He scoffed as he said this. "It was terribly easy; there was no challenge." Ron rolled his eyes. He, being an eleven year old boy, just wanted a friend who he can talk to and have fun with, not one underestimating his abilities. Draco seemed to be good at that. He always bragged about his huge Manor in Wiltshire and how it was so enormous, how good he was at Quidditch, and how he would certainly be in the Slytherin team sometime next year.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. If they weren't hanging out with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, they were hanging out with Draco and his two idiotic body guards. They thought that at times, Draco could be a real pain. Crabbe and Goyle didn't help. Ron would really rather stay in the library, even though that meant he would have no choice but finish his Herbology homework. Harry spoke for both of them, saying that they still had a few inches of the essay Professor Sprout assigned them. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, without another word, left the library, leaving Harry and Ron alone.

"It's already ten o'clock," Ron said, after several of working silently. "Doesn't the library close in an hour?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "Come on, let's just get this done." They both worked for what seemed like hours, but what was really only half an hour. Harry was already finished with his essay, so he patiently waiting for Ron to finish his as well. Ron hated Herbology; maybe not as much as History of Magic, but still. He still had to do research on what the plant 'Devil's Snare' weakness was. He honestly didn't know why it was so important to know, but he wouldn't question it. He tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Hey Harry, what'd you get for the weakness of 'Devil's Snare'?" Ron asked with a completely hopeless look on his face.

Harry shrugged. "I dunno, mate. I just put down some rubbish, really." Ron slumped back on his chair, holding his head in his hands. Just as Ron was about to call it a night, he heard a girl's voice behind him.

"Are you doing the Herbology homework due tomorrow? This late? That's completely irresponsible." She said. Ron turned to turn to the girl.

"What's it to you?" he said feverishly. When he saw the girl, he was surprised to see that it was that bushy, brown haired girl that was sorted into Gryffindor. Her eyebrows furrowed at his rude comment, but chose to ignore it. "Are you stuck on something?" she pressed.

"Yeah, I am, and I'm bloody tired. I just want to go to bed—"

"Watch your language," she snapped. "You need help finding the weakness of 'Devil's Snare'? Easy. 'Devil's Snare' is usually found in a dark and damp location, so the obvious answer would be sunlight. You could easily get out of its grasp with 'Lumos Solem'."

At this point, Ron was jotting down the answers that the girl was giving him. Apparently, Harry was as well because of his own rubbish answer.

"Thanks. I don't know what we would have done—"Ron began, before he got interrupted.

"Next time, just don't leave it until the last minute. You should be heading back to your common room right now." Without waiting a reply, she left the library, with a couple books in her hands. Ron was left confused. Though he was somewhat grateful that this girl gave him the answer to the only think keeping him from sleeping, he didn't know why she would help someone outside of Gryffindor. There's always been a rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and she just willingly…..helped him. It was really kind of her, Ron thought. Even if she was kind in an annoying way.

Not wanting to think of the topic of homework any longer, he and Harry walked lazily back to the dungeons, wishing the next day's boring classes would somehow disappear. At least tomorrow was Friday, Ron thought. First month of Hogwarts, finally over. He hoped that it would all get easier as time went on.

* * *

_Dear Ronnie,_

_First off, I thought I taught you to always be kind to girls. No exceptions. And I don't care what she said, because it probably wasn't bad. I know you're temper, Ron. Anyways, I knew that if it wasn't Gryffindor, it would be Slytherin. You're a cunning and ambitious boy, and that isn't bad at all. Who knows, maybe if Slytherin didn't exist, you would be in Gryffindor. Your father took it well, and so did your brothers Bill and Charlie. Percy….well, you should talk to him. I'm very proud of how you feel about your house. Your years at Hogwarts are going to be some of the best years of your life. You can't spend them being ashamed of where you were sorted. Your father and I send lots of love, owl me when you get your test results back._

_Love,_

_Mum_

That was the letter Ron got in reply when he sent a letter to his mum. It had been a few months since then he received that letter, it was nearly Christmas. Ron remembered how Percy reacted to him being in Slytherin. He could tell Percy was trying too angry, but he being Percy, he just couldn't help it. He went on and on about how Slytherin was the worst credited house in all of Hogwarts, and how Auntie Muriel would very likely be upset—but he didn't really care. He just didn't want to think about it at the time. There were more important things to worry about, after all. Ron would sometimes get worried about Harry; his scar would start to burn out of nowhere, and that didn't seem normal, even for a wizard. There was something strange about all of this. He and Harry were suspicious about the whole "break in at Gringotts" story in the Daily Prophet. Harry had been there with Hagrid on the same day, and they had visited the same vault. They hypothesized that the dark wizards or witches were trying to steal whatever was inside that vault, but they didn't know what.

When they weren't doing homework, or hanging with their Slytherin friends, they were having tea with Hagrid. He was a good conversationalist, and it kept them from being bored.

"So 'arry, Ron, how does it feel to be in—er, Slytherin'?" Hagrid said uncertainly. Ever since he and Harry were sorted into Slytherin, Hagrid hadn't really brought it up. Ron was sure that Hagrid didn't have anything against Slytherin personally, but he, like many other people, were the first to agree to stereotypes.

"It's alright. We get nasty looks from time to time, but it's fine. There are actually some pretty nice Slytherins, believe it or not." Ron said bitterly, putting his porcelain teacup down and folding his hands.

"Well, yeh' know where I come from, it's the people that give yer' house a bad name." Hagrid said in a sympathetic manner. He really didn't mean any harm to either of the boys and really didn't want to offend them in any way.

"I know," Harry said, his face softening. "You shouldn't listen to the stereotypes, though."

"Yer' right. I'm sorry, boys." It was a sincere apology, but Ron still thought Hagrid wouldn't ditch his beliefs. They were understandable, because he was right; most dark wizards came from Slytherin. The major popularity of criminals in Azkaban were once Slytherins. But It didn't change the fact that Hagrid might've thought that because of them being in that particular house, they would be the same.

"So, 'ow are yer' classes comin' along? Are yer' grades fine?" Hagrid said, attempting to change the subject. He stood up to check on the kettle while he and harry were sipping their tea. "They're actually pretty good," Ron said, to which Harry nodded. Hagrid kindly offered them some homemade biscuits that looked pleasing; though the boys declined because they had just come from lunch and weren't really hungry. He set the recently baked biscuits onto the counter and sat where he was before. "Who are yer' friends 'ere? Any I know?"

"Well, there are plenty of people we talk to. There's Theodore Nott, he's pretty cool." Ron said nodding.

"Blaise Zabini. He could be kind of demanding, but he's fun to hang around." Harry continued.

"We hang out with Draco Malfoy sometimes. He could be such a bother at times, Hagrid!" Ron said over exaggeratedly.

"He doesn't like muggle-borns or blood traitors. Thinks they're a disgrace to the wizard world." At these words, Hagrid visibly cringed.

"It was the way the damn' boy was brough' up! Lucius Malfoy is one of the most arrogan' men I 'ave ever had the displeasure to meet," Hagrid said firmly. "And a follower of you- know- who, as well... bloody fool. I bet he's one of the few helpin' him look fer' the Sorcerer's Stone, no doubt." Hagrid's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. "Oh no…."

"That's what those dark wizards were after, wasn't it?" Ron asked. He and Harry's eyes widened as well.

"No! No, you didn' 'ear anythin' that just escaped my mouth, y-yeh 'ear?" Hagrid stammered nervously

"That's what you took out of vault 713 when we went to Gringotts!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at Hagrid as he said so.

Hagrid stood up from his chair and was pushing Harry and Ron to get out of his hut. "That is none—"Harry and Ron were trying to struggle out of his grasp, but to no avail. "—of yer' business. Now out, out!"

They boys were shoved out of Hagrid's hut, nearly falling on the ground. Ron tried to mentally recap what had just had happened—Hagrid just admitted what the dark wizards were after, what Vol—You-Know-Who was after….this 'Sorcerer's Stone' seemed like a powerful object….why else would dark wizards, including You-Know-Who, want it? Hagrid always said that he didn't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was truly dead, and Hagrid obviously knew things that the two boys didn't. The strange thing was that Hagrid really didn't want Ron and Harry finding out about the stone.

"Do you know what this means, Ron? The Sorcerer's Stone is hidden in Hogwarts this very second! And Voldemort—"(Ron shuddered at his wording)—"wants to find it—why do you think he wants it?" Harry questioned. Ron furrowed his eyebrows and tried to think, but unfortunately, nothing came out of that.

"I dunno. There must be some reason that a load of dark wizards want this stone so terribly, so it must be powerful and very useful. It's probably something that will help them fulfill any evil plans, I suppose."

"Maybe. We can try looking in the library for books about the stone. I don't know any other way," Harry suggested. Ron didn't really like the thought of reading, but if it meant finding out this mystery, that he'd be more willing than he usually would. The boys had reached the halls and were heading the dungeons, not wanting to think of anything but sleep for now.

* * *

"We've looked two million times Harry, there's absolutely nothing!"

It had been a week since Ron and Harry found out about the Sorcerer's Stone, but they didn't find one bit of information on it, not even a little. They were both beginning to lose hope. They knew they couldn't give up though; they already knew so much about the stone that they couldn't just simply drop it altogether. They had already looked through every letter books were organized by, re-checked the books labeled under the letter 'S' a dozen times but they didn't find a single thing. None of these books had anything related to the Sorcerer's Stone.

"That's it, I give up." Harry sighed, throwing another book back on the table they were sitting at.

"No! We can't give up Harry." Ron said firmly. He was sort of upset that Harry had given this up before he had. They were Slytherins! Ambition was one of their main traits. "Well, what else can we do? We can't ask anyone else for help, so now what?" At that moment, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout talking as they walked passed their table.

"—and Miss Granger just walked into my classroom after classes and asked me what the—" her voice instantly became lower—"Sorcerer's Stone was. I was utterly shocked, Pamona!"

"What did you tell her, Minerva?"

"What could I tell her? I said that it was none of her concern. I have no clue whatsoever how she found out about the Stone, but she's a clever one—she won't stop until she knows, I just know it That scares me..." As they got farther away, they're voices faded. They probably hadn't realized that he and Harry had been eavesdropping; it was a relief they didn't.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed suddenly. A few students around him went "shh!" to quiet him down, but Ron ignored them. Harry gave him an odd look before saying, "Who?"

"Hermione! Hermione Granger! You know, the girl that always raises her hand in class? With the brown hair?" Seeing Harry's confused face, he said, "For Merlin's sakes, Harry, the girl who helped us on our Herbology homework that one night!" Realization washed over Harry's face. "Oh right, what about her?"

"Can you hear all right, mate? That Granger girl knows about the—"Ron started to whisper to Harry—"Stone. Someone must have told her about it, but it couldn't have been Hagrid. Maybe some other teacher told her?" Harry shrugged. "I dunno, mate. We should just ask her what she knows, because knowing how much of a know-it-all she is, she probably knows more than us. I don't think there's any other way." Ron nodded.

"Agreed. But where is she? She could be in Gryffindor Tower. Merlin knows we can't go there." Harry leaned back on his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "She always comes to the library," Ron said matter-of-factly Harry looked back down at him. "She comes with her friend all the time. That blond one that I bickered with the first day, remember?"

"How'd you know she always comes to the library?" Harry asked, taken back. He saw Ron's ears turn a deep shade of red. Looking everywhere but Harry, Ron said, "You know…every time we came here….she'd be here too. It's….hard not to notice." Harry was still a bit taken back with Ron's answer, but decided to drop the subject.

"So are we just going to wait until she shows up?" Harry asked Ron feverishly. He looked up from the book he was skimming through and said, "What else can we do?" Harry didn't respond. He just picked up another book and began to read again. They could be here for a while.

* * *

"Ron, let's just go." Harry said in a yawn, resting head on the two books he skimmed through minutes before.

"No! Do you want to find out why You-Know-Who wants that stone?" Ron was tired as well. It was nine o'clock, and there had been so sign of Hermione anywhere. It was odd, Ron thought. As far as he was concerned, Hermione came to the library every day. She would always pick out a few books, go the table she always sat at, and start reading with her friend. Ron didn't really know why he noticed all of this; he guessed that he just paid a bit too much attention. He didn't know why he did that either.

"Yes, I do. But it's getting late, and Hermione hasn't even showed up." He did have a point; maybe tomorrow they would wait by the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall so they would get a chance to talk to her. Hermione would probably see them as two stupid boys from Slytherin, so would she even want to talk to them? All Ron knew know was that he was tired, and that he wanted to go to bed. He and Harry returned all the books to their shelves and headed for the Slytherin Common room. They were both talking about Harry's upcoming Quidditch game, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. It was a rivalry game, so they had to win. Harry was the new Slytherin seeker, and a damn good one. There was no way they could lose.

They're conversation was interrupted when he and Harry heard running footsteps coming their way. By the time they realized, they had already ran passed them, but Ron swore he saw a mass of bushy brown hair. It looked like they were heading to the…..library. "Ron….was that—"

"Yes! There she goes! Come on!" Ron said hurriedly. Hermione was no longer in sight, but Ron could make out her footsteps and decided to go that path. Hermione and her friend ran to where the books were labeled under "N" and began searching for books. Harry ran up to her and without wasting any time, he straight out said, "What do you know about the Sorcerer's Stone?" Ron thought Harry could have said it in a more polite manner, but he didn't say anything. Hermione's face was full of shock and disbelief. "How do you know about the Sorcerer's Stone?" Hermione spat, sounding outraged. God, when she was mad, her voice was so shrill it hurt.

"Someone let it slip," Ron said nonchalantly. "All we know is that the stone is what the dark wizards wanted when they broke into Gringotts. We just don't know why." Hermione gave the boys a puzzled look.

"That's what we came here to find out—"

"Good luck with that," Harry scoffed. "We've checked a hundred times—"

"Not in the Restricted Section." Harry and Ron turned to each other, confused. "The Restricted Section?" They said in unison. They hadn't been in a library that often other than the past few days, so they didn't know this place like a certain bookworm would.

"Yes," Phoebe spoke for the first time. "The staff doesn't want us to know about the stone. That's why there's no information on it for us to get a hold of. Plus, that's not what we're looking for anyway."

"Well what are you looking for then?" Ron said exasperatedly. Hermione and Phoebe turned to look at each other, both sharing the same smirk. "Nicholas Flamel." They said together smugly. "There's no biography on him or anything here. It's probably in the restricted section, Phoebe." Hermione said, turning to her friend. She put back the book she had just recently skimmed through into its neat shelf.

"Who is he?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head. "That's what we want to know. Like I said, there's no article or a tad bit of information on him whatsoever in any of the books we've read so far. Where else would it be? Harry and Ron nodded then. "So how are you going to get in the Restricted Section?"

"I am going to sneak in at night. It's the only way," Hermione said. "We only know so far that dark wizards want the stone, that Nicholas Flamel made it, and that every teacher here is guarding it." Ron was about to speak, but Hermione put her finger up to silence him. "McGonagall said that the stone is well protected by the staff here at Hogwarts. Each teacher has cast some type of charm to protect it. We just don't know what they are. There are still many pieces missing of this very complicated puzzle." Hermione sighed. "If you excuse me, we have to go back to Gryffindor Tower. It's getting late." Phoebe walked past the boys, and Hermione followed.

Before Hermione could go, Ron turned and grabbed her arm. He blushed lightly, for some reason. "Are you going tonight?"

"Yes. We mustn't waste any time." And with that, she had left to join Phoebe back to Gryffindor Tower. He and Harry returned to the Slytherin Dungeon to hopefully enjoy a peaceful slumber. They doubted they would, recapping the recent events and the new information they had learned. It wasn't much, but it was something. Ron couldn't help but to think of how exactly Hermione and Phoebe could have gotten so much information from such a reliable source—it didn't seem normal for a first year to just wriggle something that secretive out of a teacher— and a strict one at that. She must have been deceptive….or just really annoying.

Could Hermione do this by herself? What if she got caught? She could get months of detention, or worse, get expelled! Ron definitely didn't want that. Because….she was very smart and she could help them with this mystery. That was the reason. Plus, it would be easy for her to be seen by Filch or his cat, seeing she had no way to disguise herself if anything like this had occurred. Surely she knew this, so she must have something up her sleeve. Whatever her plans included, Ron thought that with the invisibility cloak, it would become full-proof. Ron's eyes widened.

The invisibility cloak!

Ron removed the covers that were on him and swung his legs off his bed, and he made sure he was silent so he wouldn't wake his roommates. He went over to Harry's bunk (where he was sleeping soundly) and scanned through his bags to see where Harry had hidden his cloak to find that it was folded neatly at the bottom of Harry's bunk, along with some of his clothes and textbooks. He quickly grabbed the cloak and enveloped it around himself, tip-toeing his way around his roommates' personal belongings. Soon enough, he was out of the Slytherin Dungeon and striding through the halls anxiously; the last thing he wanted was to get caught. That wouldn't be good for his reputation in the Weasley family.

He slowly opened the door to the library, which creaked louder than he expected it to, and walked in. This was going to be interesting.

**A/N:** Hi guys! This chapter turned out way longer than I had originally intended. I had to split it in half, and leave things out. But I'll save it for chapter four. Thanks for all the great feedback and since all authors are in some way insecure about their writing and are always looking to improve, I would love it if anyone would give me some constructive criticism. :)

I might be taking longer in writing each chapter because I'm sticking to canon as much as possible and I'm pretty much telling how different the story would be if Hermione wasn't completely in the boys' lives. I know the story is going pretty slow (I know you people are aching for Romione goodness) but trust me, we'll get there. I will be moving on to year two, three, and so on in later chapters. Something's going to happen, just bear with me. All reviews, good or bad, are very appreciated! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Hermione's POV **

Hermione was walking, nearly jogging to her transfiguration teacher and head of her house's classroom. The reason being was her curiousness and eagerness to find out what the Sorcerer's Stone exactly was. Hermione hated not knowing something, and she hated it more when someone knew something she didn't. Her friend that she had made recently, Phoebe, was interested in this case as much as she was, but she wasn't interested in meddling in things that "shouldn't be meddled in". She thought Hermione was bonkers for actually wanting to ask McGonagall, doubting she would get her answer. Hermione didn't care and was persistent in knowing as much as she could about the Sorcerer's Stone. She began to get suspicious when the story about dark wizards breaking into Gringotts was published. Lots of her fellow Gryffindors just pushed it aside, assuring themselves there was nothing to worry about. Hermione and Phoebe thought differently, however. If there was something at Gringotts that dark wizards wanted to steal, and it had to be kept at Hogwarts, one of the safest places in the Wizarding World, then that object had to be quite important. She knew about You-Know-Who and Harry Potter, and how Harry had apparently killed him as a baby, but she didn't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was completely gone. How could a baby destroy a grown man, and a man who was trying to kill him at that?

When it came to trying to find out about the stone, there was hardly anything she could do. She didn't know where to start looking so that she can check out a book in the library, so she figued that she should start asking. She knew that the teachers must've had something to do with the stone, so if she had just asked any teacher of hers, she would likely get something. Maybe not a direct answer, but something leading up to it. Being very confident, she went and asked Professor Quirrel after classes what he thought the dark wizards wanted when they broke into Gringotts. Quirrel stuttered while nervously looking around the room, trying to give her an answer. He looked very agitated, but when the pressure became too hard on him, he practically yelled that it was the Sorcerer's Stone. Hermione darted out the classroom in an instant, not needing to linger any longer. She knew it was a stone, but she didn't know what the stone did, or why people would desperately want it—she knew that there had to be a great amount of greed filled in a person to want something so much that they had to steal it—so that helped her a bit. The object would most likely be a great benefit to any dark wizard who had immoral plans, but in what way

Hermione had reached McGonagall's classroom as this point, worried about how this would all go. Hopefully McGonagall would understand this as mere curiosity and not anything else.

"Um…Professor?" Hermione said, waiting for her transfiguration teacher to respond. McGonagall was likely grading papers on her desk; every paper that had received it's marking would levitate itself to a pile of papers on the side of her desk. Hermione became more anxious as the scribbling noise from her teacher's quill continued. After what seemed like eternity, McGonagall raised her head to meet Hermione's eyes and said, "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"I wanted to ask you...what exactly is the Sorcerer's Stone?" McGonagall was visibly stunned by Hermione's question. She raised her eyebrows in a stern manner and said, "I do not know how you found out about the stone, Miss Granger, but I will tell you that it is absolutely none of your business as to what the stone is—"

"But Professor!" Hermione started passionately. "There are dark wizards wanting to steal the stone, I know it, and I just—"

"I can assure you that the stone is very well protected by myself and the staff here at Hogwarts, including your headmaster, Miss Granger. Like I said before, there is a reason that we the staff are not informing the students about the stone. Many students, like yourself, are going to get overly curious and are going to want to do anything they can to acquire the stone, which would be extremely dangerous. I suggest you forget about the stone and remain concentrated on your studies, Miss Granger, because you certainly don't want your grades getting lower all because of this silly subject." She was no longer looking at Hermione, and was grading papers once more. "Besides, I hardly know anything about the stone. If you really wanted to know, you would have to ask Dumbledore or Nicholas Flamel, and we both know neither of those things are going to happen. Right, Miss Granger?" Nicholas Flamel? Who was he? She had never read about Nicholas Flamel in her textbooks, or in Hogwarts, a History. She knew she wasn't going to get any information Nicholas Flamel from her Professor, so she simply said, "Right, Professor McGonagall. I'll just be on my way."

* * *

"Phoebe! Phoebe!" Hermione yelled as she ran into her dormitory, receiving an odd look from her friend. "What is it, Hermione?" She said patiently.

"I have new information about the Sorcerer's Stone!" Phoebe's eyes lit up and she smirked mischievously. It was strange how Hermione and Phoebe were different yet alike in so many ways; they would argue about which classes they preferred, about Quidditch (Which Phoebe seemed to love), pets, and so much more. But there was no denying the fact that Hermione and Phoebe loved to learn, study, and get good marks on exams and homework.

"Oh really?" Phoebe said as she swung her legs over her bunk and went up to Hermione, crossing her arms. "What did you get outta McGonagall?"

"Two major things. One was that all the teachers are doing something to help protect the stone," Hermione paused. "Then she said that if I really wanted to know about the stone, that I should ask Dumbledore or Nicholas Flamel—"

"Okay, Hermione, let me stop you there," Phoebe said uncertainly, with a cocked eyebrow. "We both know Dumbledore wouldn't breathe a word if this stone is so secret, especially to a first year. And who the bloody hell is Nicholas Flamel?"

"Language, Phoebe!" Phoebe rolled her eyes. "I know Dumbledore wouldn't breathe a word. I didn't intend on asking him. I was intending on researching Nicholas Flamel in the library. He must be somehow related to the stone if McGonagall suggested it."

"McGonagall was sort of daft to actually let that information slip," Phoebe sighed. "You'd think she'd be a lot more careful—especially with a certain Gryffindor first year." Her eyes narrowed to Hermione and she raised her eyebrows. After a couple of moments of unbroken eye contact, the girls started giggling uncontrollably. "I'm not that bad!" Hermione exclaimed between laughs, slapping her friend on the arm. They chatted for several minutes before lying together on Phoebe's bunk, the room becoming quieter as their laughs were fading away. They shared a moment of comfortable silence until Phoebe finally spoke.

"So, what's our plan?" She said softly.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe propped herself up with her elbows. She turned her head to Hermione and said, "We can't stop here. You know that."

Hermione sat up as well and furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought we were only doing this because of mere curiosity."

Phoebe scoffed. "Mere curiosity? Are you serious? We have so many leads here, there has to be action!"

"Not necessarily," Hermione countered. Phoebe got off the bed in exasperation.

"You dare call yourself a Gryffindor? Might as well be in Ravenclaw if researching is all you're going to do. Come one, don't' be such a wuss and lie there like nothing's wrong!" Hermione's jaw dropped, forming the perfect 'O' shape.

"Gryffindors do the things they do out of chivalry, not their own personal gain—!"

"When did I say that any of this would lead to my personal gain? What will I get from all of this? Praise? Glory? That isn't what I want. I want to figure out why dark forces want to infiltrate Hogwarts because of this stone, not because of curiosity, but because I want to help! We can do something to help!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Phoebe. What on earth can two first years do that will actually make a difference? Answer me that question." They were both silent. There was a thick tension between them that was too strong to avoid. Phoebe took a deep breath before saying, "This might sound completely insane. You don't know this but I…well…..remember when I told you that I don't like to meddle in things that should not be meddled in?" Hermione nodded. "Well….that's not entirely true. I—out of mere curiosity—went inside the third floor corridor." Hermione clasped her hands to her mouth, eyes widening. How did….when did….why did….there was so many questions she wanted to ask.

"Before you start asking questions, just here me out. I was walking along the moving staircases after you had gone to eat dinner a few weeks ago. I wasn't paying attention, so the staircases switched around all over and I got lost. The staircases stopped at the corridor and I couldn't help but look—I know it was completely stupid and dangerous—but I went in anyway. In was so dark and cold in there Hermione—it was absolutely terrifying.

"So then the scariest part of it all was that Filch's cat saw me. I ran as far as I could to hide, and I saw this door. It was locked, so I just used the 'Alohomora' spell you taught me. I was safe from getting caught, but you wouldn't believe what was in there." She said it all so fast that Hermione had a hard time comprehending all of this. How come Phoebe hadn't told her this before? A bit afraid to continue the conversation, Hermione said, "What was in there, Phoebe?"

"A three-headed dog. A bloody gigantic three-headed dog, Hermione! I closed the door immediately before the thing noticed. I was petrified." Hermione was shocked by her reply. A three-headed dog? How? As Hermione was about to speak, Phoebe cut her off by saying, "I'm not done yet. There was a trap door under the dog. It was obviously guarding something. What do you think that was, Hermione?" Hermione eyes widened. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before; I didn't know exactly what to say."

"Three-headed dog….if what McGonagall said was true about how all the teachers were helping protect the stone, then that must have been Gamekeeper Hagrid's way of protecting it. I bet you if you had gotten in through the trapdoor, there would be more ways created by other teachers to keep anyone from it! They're all fairly dangerous, so that's why Dumbledore said at the beginning of term that anyone that would go there would likely suffer a most painful death!" The pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together at last, but she still knew there were still some pieces missing. Hermione and Phoebe were so ecstatic of their discovery that they both high-fived while cheering. During their miniature celebration, Hermione was hit by realization.

"Phoebe, wait! We've forgotten something," Phoebe's smile faded from her face. "What?

"If there's no information on the Sorcerer's Stone anywhere, do you really think there's going to be information on Nicholas Flamel?" Hermione swore she heard Phoebe mutter "Damn it" before she went to sit on her bunk. It appeared to Hermione that Phoebe was about to raise the white flag of surrender. It made Hermione feel blameworthy. They couldn't really know what to do if they didn't know more about the stone, and to be honest, it wasn't really in their place to do anything concerning the stone.

Hermione remembered the dungeon troll that was set loose in the castle on Halloween. It was odd that in a safe place like Hogwarts, there would be so many fatal threats, including a three-headed dog and a giant troll. It was also a little off-putting that Professor Snape had returned to the feast with a limp leg. What if Snape was trying to steal the stone? It seemed as if Snape had let out the troll to make a diversion so no one would catch him. She thought this was absolutely mad, but it sort of made sense, though. She had to know more.

"Phoebe," Hermione called to her friend. Her voice seemed to snap Phoebe out of her thoughts. "How about we go to the library and see if there is anything on Nicholas Flamel. And if not…" Hermione paused for a second before continuing. "…We can sneak into the Restricted Section." Phoebe's eyes visibly lit up. She clapped her hands together, pointing her finger at Hermione and saying, "Yes! That's a true Gryffindor, right there!" They both laughed and started making their way to the library, despite how late it was getting.

* * *

"I can't believe those two idiots know about the stone as well. Who knows what they're going to do," Phoebe ranted. After their brief encounter with two Slytherins, Harry Potter and this other boy that Phoebe didn't seem to like, Hermione didn't really think it was her position to set out to find the stone. Harry Potter and the other one seemed so determined to find out what the stone was and what it did; the only thing they were missing was knowledge on it. They didn't know about the charms to protect the stone, they didn't know about the three-headed dog, they didn't know why the troll was loose and why Snape had a limp (it was her theory, and she chose to stick with it). What if….Hermione just told the boys of she and Phoebe's leads, and leave them to do the rest? If anyone was to take the stone so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of evil, might as well be Harry Potter.

"Hey Phoebe, why don't we just leave the whole thing to them? They seem determined to solve this case, and with the right leads—"

"No! We figure this entire thing out, and we just give everything we know to those boys so that they can take the credit?" Phoebe replied fervently.

"I thought you wanted to this because you wanted to help?" Hermione replied curtly. She just couldn't keep up with Phoebe and her preposterous ideas.

"I do. But I don't want all the credit to go to those boys because if we weren't here, they'd be dead by tomorrow." Hermione was counted back from ten to keep herself calm.

"If you want to be the bigger person in this, then you would let me tell those boys what to do. Because it isn't our place to do anything about the stone. Who better to do it than the Boy-Who-Lived?" There was a moment of silence where Hermione and Phoebe glared at each other with looks resentment, but deep down, they just wanted to do what was right. Slowly, Phoebe nodded, and agreed to Hermione's predicament. They reluctantly exchanged apologies, mostly because they hated being wrong. They were in good terms by the end of the day, but Hermione couldn't help but think Phoebe still held a grudge. She hoped that things would be better the next day, but for now, she would go to sleep, and forget about Nicholas Flamel and the stone.

**A/N: Shorter than usual, quality is better than quality I suppose. Please review!**


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